Context:
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has achieved a significant milestone by breaking into the world’s top 150 universities in the latest edition of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Ranking. This remarkable leap comes after eight years since the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore achieved a similar feat.
Relevance:
GS II: Education
Dimensions of the Article:
- Key Insights from QS World University Ranking
- QS World University Rankings
- Revised Ranking Parameters in QS
Key Insights from QS World University Ranking:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) continues its reign as the top-ranked university in the world for the twelfth consecutive time.
- The National University of Singapore breaks into the top 10, becoming the first Asian university to achieve this milestone.
- India stands out as the seventh most represented country globally, with 45 universities securing rankings in the QS World University Ranking.
- IIT Bombay achieves its highest rank ever, claiming the 149th position globally. It demonstrates excellence in employment reputation and citation per faculty, with a notable improvement in citation per faculty score.
- The University of Delhi and Anna University make their debut in the top 500 universities, showcasing their growing recognition and prominence in global higher education.
QS World University Rankings:
- The QS World University Rankings are annual rankings released by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).
- These rankings aim to evaluate and compare the performance and quality of universities worldwide.
- The methodology used by QS takes into account various indicators, including academic reputation, faculty-student ratio, employer reputation, sustainability, employment outcomes, international research network, citations per faculty, international faculty ratio, and international student ratio.
- In addition to the overall rankings, QS also provides rankings by subject, region, student city, business school, and sustainability, catering to specific areas of interest and focus.
Revised Ranking Parameters in QS:
- QS has introduced three new indicators in their ranking methodology: sustainability, employment outcomes, and international research network. Each of these indicators carries a weightage of 5% in the overall ranking.
- Adjustments have been made to existing parameters such as academic reputation, faculty-student ratio, and employer reputation.
- The weightage for faculty-student ratio has been decreased in the revised ranking parameters.
- The impact on Indian institutions is twofold:
- The reduction in weightage for faculty-student ratio benefits Indian institutions overall.
- However, research-focused institutions like the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) may face challenges due to the decreased weightage, as it may impact their rankings.
- The inclusion of the employability outcomes indicator benefits several Indian institutions, as it highlights their strengths in terms of preparing students for the job market.
-Source: Indian Express
